GOP Plans To Unveil New "Contract With America"

The Hill is reporting that the GOP, with prospects of regaining the majority in the House, is pulling a compilation of items from its “America Speaking Out” program to create an agenda before November’s elections.

Republicans plan to unveil a “Contract  with America” in Virginia Thursday as a response to Democratic criticism that the party is lacking an agenda.  

The new “contract” is said to include a two-year tax freeze and a reduction in spending to 2008 levels as hinted by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio). Lawmakers on the right have also pushed for the repealing of healthcare reform, replacing it with a few reforms of their own and other GOP figures have also showed signs of repealing Wall Street reform as well. 

The GOP’s new “Contract with America” is said to be an attempt at reestablishing a 1994 “contract” that helped Republicans win the House and provided them with a base to hold the House majority until 2006. 

The unveiling of the new GOP agenda comes at crucial time and has led some Democrats to question why it took so long and argue that the timing is all too convenient.

A spokesman for Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee told The Hill that the GOP’s new agenda mirrors that which “caused the Great Bush Recession.”

“Washington Republicans are finally getting around to releasing an agenda for this Congress. What’s shocking is that it took them more than 20 months to repackage  a plan that is no different from the one that caused the Great Bush Recession,” he said. ” We have seen this movie before and the American people walked out on it, we don’t need a sequel.”

Sparring Over Economy Intensifies Between Obama And Boehner

During his speech on the economy yesterday in Ohio, President Barack Obama directly confronted House GOP leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) over his party’s accusations that the current administration’s fiscal policies have hurt the nation more than they have helped.

Obama spoke outside of Cleveland, a few miles from where Boehner delivered a speech two weeks ago, and referred to Boehner seven times throughout the course of his remarks, denouncing the Republican’s proposal to extend the Bush-era tax cuts.

It came as no surprise that the president’s impassioned speech, in which he took mulitiple shots at the GOP, coincided with the start of this year’s final campaign stretch run.

Obama accused Republicans of “rooting against the recovery,” and told the audience that a vote for the GOP this November would be a vote to take the country backwards.

“When these same Republicans, including Mr. Boehner, were in charge, the number of earmarks and pet projects went up, not down,” Obama said. “There are no new policies from Mr. Boehner. There are no new ideas.” 

Immediately after Obama finished speaking, Boehner and other GOP figures took to Twitter to instantly respond.

“Instead of focusing on me, @BarackObama should work w/GOP to cut spending & stop the tax hikes to help create jobs,” read a Tweet from Boehner.

“Guess [Obama] missed the $1.5 trillion [in spending cuts] we offered,” tweeted House Minority Whip Eric Cantor’s (R-Va.) press secretary.

House GOP Leadership Gears Up For Final Health Care Fight

By Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Lead John Boehner (R-Ohio) promised late Saturday morning that Congressional Republicans are preparing a strong stand against the Affordable Health Care for America Act, stating that they will attempt to convince Democrats to vote against the legislation.

"Members are having conversations with colleagues on the other side of the aisle... we're going to do everything we can to make sure this bill does not happen," he said.

The House is expected to vote on the bill Saturday evening.

Boehner and the rest of the House Republican leadership stood at a podium flanked by two flow charts showing what Boehner described as the 'Super Bureaucracy' that will be implemented if the bill passes.

House Minority Whip Erica Cantor (R-VA) commented that the only bipartisan votes on this bill will be from Democratic members who have decided to side with Republicans in opposition.

Cantor touted the Republican's alternative bill.

“One version ... will be a massive overhaul and remake the health care system that we know to a system we don't, and another version ... takes a reasoned and smart approach,” Cantor said.

Boehner Urges Pelosi To Strip Ways & Means Chairmanship From Rangel

Travis Martinez - University of New Mexico /Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) Thursday urged Rep. Chuck Rangel (D-N.Y.) to resign from his position as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

“This is a time for Speaker Pelosi, who promised to drain the swamp, to have the most open and ethical congress in history... she has not done it yet," he said.

Boehner also commented on the Defense Authorization Bill, calling the hate crimes legislation attached to it, “radical, social policy that is being put...on the backs of our soldiers... this is an abuse of the legislative process.” Added Boehner, “I’m offended by it!”

In response to the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee’s release this week of its healthcare reform bill following what Boehner called, “a mysterious delay,” the Ohio Republican lobbied for mandatory public review of all bills. He added that he will propose a resolution to ensure that all bills that come to the floor are available to members of the public for 72 hours before they are voted on.

The Leader also called on President Barack Obama to request that Gen. Stanley McChrystal testify before Congress regarding his assessment of the situation in Afghanistan.